


Man in the Box

by Jetsetlife138



Category: Castle Rock (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Fluff, Handcuffs, Hurt/Comfort, Oral Sex, Possible Loss of Virginity, Psychological Trauma, Rough Sex, Sexual Tension, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 11:25:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15639774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jetsetlife138/pseuds/Jetsetlife138
Summary: You’re a doctor working in Shawshank Prison when a mysterious man is found in an abandoned section of the building. It’s your job to tend to him and to help find out the truth behind who he is and what his past reveals, which may entail more than you bargained for.ON HIATUS - I'll be back, I promise <3





	Man in the Box

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of just a teaser chapter to see if anyone would even be interested in reading this nonsense. I've taken a step back from writing recently, but I couldn't stop myself after watching this show. Obviously, if people want me to continue I will and the story will progress along with the show. Everything is kind of up in the air at this point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what I'm doing. Send help.

 

“He’ll be here in a few minutes. Are you ready?”

You nod earnestly to your nurse aid as he exits, leaving you to prep for your new patient. Not much was known about him – just that he had been accidentally discovered in an abandoned section of the building, locked away in a cage like some kind of animal. From what you had heard he was in extremely poor condition and you were preparing yourself for the worst. You could only imagine what being isolated for god knows how long could do to a person, let alone in a place like this.

So many questions raced through your mind as you gathered your things for your initial inspection. How could this have happened? Who was this man and how did he end up down there? Was he originally a prisoner who had gotten lost and had accidentally locked himself in a cage? No, not possible. You had overheard the guards talking about his imprisonment and it was clear that someone had put him there for their own sick form of entertainment.

The sound of the door opening interrupted your thoughts as the aid spoke again. “He’s here, Doctor. Are you ready to begin?”

“Yes,” you replied over your shoulder, reaching for your rubber gloves above the sink. “Thank you, Andrew. Bring him in, please.”

Several pairs of footsteps could be heard entering the room along with the rattling of metal, which you had recognized as the clinking of handcuffs. You turned around, preparing yourself for what you were about to see, but even still, your breath hitched slightly at the sight.

Towering over the guards and your aid was a very malnourished, pale, and solemn-looking man with an overwhelming deeply seeded sadness in his sunken green eyes. His full lips were dry and chapped from what you could see through the dirty, unkempt facial hair that adorned his face. His shoulders hunched as if he were trying to make himself smaller and less noticeable - as if that were possible.

Breaking the tense silence that fell between you, you spoke softly, “Hi there. I’m Dr. Y/N. I’ll be taking care of you today.” His eyes refused to meet your own as they seemed fixated on one particular spot on the floor. “Please, have a seat,” you instruct, pointing to the examination table.

He doesn’t move at first, as if he’s unsure as to whether or not he should follow directions. A moment later, one of the guards behind him shoved him harshly from behind, grunting impatiently, “Move your ass.”

“There’s no need for that,” you insisted calmly. “Just give him a moment.” It was then that his eyes met yours only briefly as they flickered to you before settling on the examination table. It took only a couple of steps due to his long legs for him to reach it before he sat down as previously instructed.

“Thank you,” you stated as you pulled your tools closer to the table to begin. Before you started, you halted for a moment, still inspecting him until you asked, “What’s your name?”

“He won’t give us a name,” one of the guards answered for him. “The Kid won’t say anything at all.”

“Is that true?” you asked him delicately, not sure what to expect. Still, he avoided your gaze as his eyes darted back and forth around the patterns on the floor tile.

“Some of us have been calling him Nick,” the other guard implied.

You turned around to look at him questioningly, only then recognizing him as Dennis Zalewski, one of the kinder guards at Shawshank. “Nick?” you asked, eyebrow arched in confusion.

“Yeah, uhh, because, you know. Nick Cage?” he hinted, clearly hoping that you would understand the reference.

Fighting the urge to roll your eyes you turned back towards The Kid. “Is that okay with you for now? May I call you Nick?”

His shoulders lifted subtly as he indicated his indifference to your request. “Okay, Nick. I’m going to take a look at you now if that’s okay. Nothing too serious, I just want to give you an initial once-over and check some of your vitals and see what we’re working with and how we can get you feeling better, okay?” It seemed absurd that you were speaking to this grown man like a child, but you weren’t sure how else to address a situation like this. For now, this felt like the best way to handle it.

He nodded, allowing you to start your examination, though you didn’t get very far before getting frustrated with the dirt and grime covering his skin. “Why hasn’t he been cleaned?” you huffed, glaring at the guards.

“The Warden wanted you to check him out first in case there was anything you needed. You know… DNA stuff or whatever,” Zalweski replied.

You sighed, understanding that the Warden probably figured that The Kid was raped in the cage or something and had traces of DNA that they needed to collect, but you could already tell considering how long that he had been down there without any human contact that if that were the case, it would be untraceable by now.

“No, there’s no need. Before I inspect him any further, please get him a proper shower and a shave, okay? Nick, is that okay with you?” you asked, waiting for a sign of approval.

Once again, he shrugged his shoulders, which you took as an agreement. “You can bring him back as soon as you’re finished,” you instructed the guards as they pulled him from the table.

Without protest, The Kid, or Nick as you were calling him for the moment, allowed the guards to lead him out of the room, ducking his head under the doorframe as he was too tall for the structure.

“Not much of a talker, huh?” Andrew stated shortly after they left.

“Would you be?” you replied, removing your gloves and washing your hands. “I can only imagine what must be going through his mind right now.”

“What do you think happened to him?” he asked, sterilizing the examination table after Nick had left dirt marks with his hands.

“It’s way too soon to tell,” you answered, “but if I had to speculate, he’s been down there a very long time, without any proper human interaction or nourishment. I’m surprised he’s still alive, honestly. I mean, someone must have kept him fed all this time.”

“Do you think they’re going to keep him here? Or do you think they’ll let him go?” he continued to press.

“Andrew, I don’t have any more information than you do at this point,” you sighed, turning towards him and leaning back on the counter, crossing your arms in slight annoyance at his interrogating. “Our job is to keep him alive and determine his sanity – nothing more.”

He pressed his lips together and nodded, reading your thinning patience. “Well, all I’m saying is that if someone went through the trouble of keeping him locked away like that, maybe there was a good reason for it. I mean, we’re already in a prison, you know? We already have the worst of the worst here, but for someone to keep him locked away from the world like that? I don’t know, it just makes me wonder is all.” 

Technically he wasn’t saying anything that you weren’t already thinking. Hell, that’s probably what everyone was thinking, but you couldn’t let that cloud your judgment. He still needed treatment, regardless of who he was or what he was capable of. “Just let me know when they bring him back, okay? I’m going to start his file for the Warden.”

Shutting yourself in your office, you sat down at your desk and started taking notes on his current condition and what your initial treatment recommendations would be. It wasn’t long before Andrew was knocking on your door, letting you know that the guards had returned with Nick.

When you returned to the examination room he was already sitting on the table waiting for you to start. “How do you feel?” You asked him, knowing that you probably wouldn’t get a response. You were met with silence as you put on a new set of gloves and stood in front of him. “I can actually see you now,” you teased, smiling at him, hoping to ease the tension a bit.

Though he didn’t smile in return, he awarded you with the first solid eye contact he had given you since he had arrived. “Shall we begin?” you asked, to which he nodded in return.

You inspected his eyes first and noted that there was a hint of jaundice, which was probably due to lack of sunlight. He allowed you to use some eye drop medication in order to help clear it quicker, but as you were administering the drops, you noticed his stomach rumbling.

Stepping back, he looked away from you, seemingly embarrassed. “Are you hungry?” You asked him, again, not knowing if he would answer. He shrugged his shoulders at you, avoiding your gaze.

“Andrew, can you please go into the fridge and pull out the baggie on the top shelf for me?” He did as instructed and handed you the baggie, to which you held out for Nick. He looked at the bag questioningly, not taking it. “It’s a sandwich,” you stated. “It’s not gourmet by any means, but until they’re serving dinner, this should hold you over.”

His eyes flickered to yours, searching for a moment before resting on the sandwich once more, finally reaching out and delicately taking it from you. You all watched in awe as he pulled the sandwich from the bag, pulled apart the bread and removed the meat and cheese from the inside before placing it back in the bag and tearing off pieces of bread before tenderly placing a piece in his mouth, chewing slowly.

You turned toward the guards who appeared just as confused as you were, but it really wasn’t your place to question what kind of food he preferred. You were about to resume your examination when you just barely heard a soft, “Thank you.”

You paused, only then noticing that he was staring directly at you again. “What?” you blurted out, not able to stop yourself, turning to Andrew to see his eyes wide with disbelief.

“Thank you,” he repeated once more before eating another piece of bread and looking away.

Finding it best not to dwell, or make him feel even more awkward for finally having spoken, you cleared your throat, which had become dry at that moment and replied, “You’re very welcome.”

The rest of the examination continued in silence though your mind was running wild with the possibilities behind this mysterious man. Clearly, he had been through a lot and you had a long way to go to earn enough of his trust to get to the bottom of it, but you were ready for whatever was to come… or so you thought.

 


End file.
